Brandie and Paul | The Full Wedding

Posted in Darby's Favorites, Real Weddings

A Full Wedding at Villa Siena

Brandie and Paul hosted a fabulous wedding last saturday at Villa Siena in Gilbert, Arizona.  If you are in the process of picking your wedding venue you should really check it out.  One thing I have always really liked about Villa Siena is that the entire venue is self contained.  This means that no one but the wedding guests are on the property!  No hotel guests or little kids you don’t know wandering around.  It’s also styled after classic Italian architecture which is not only beautiful but makes a fantastic backdrop for photos (which I always like)! Paul even told me that one reason they chose Villa was because of his Italian heritage!

These two were so easy to photograph and they made it even a little easier by deciding to see each other before the ceremony.  While I know this isn’t for everyone, I do love it when couples decide to break the ice early and spend time together before the big moment.  Paul and Brandie were so relaxed together and by the time the ceremony came along they were calm and collected!

When Brandie arrived we spent a few minutes with her and her bridesmaids as they snacked on chicken mcnuggets from the golden arches and giggled over champagne.  Then they helped Brandie zip up and do a few touch ups. Paul, who was already dressed and ready waited patiently for his first look at his bride in her wedding gown.

We escorted Brandie to where he was waiting and let them have a few moments together to take it all in before diving into photos.

One look that is always hard to pull off for brides is the no-smile, it sometimes turns into a grouchy face, but not for Brandie. She’s a natural at this and in fact prefers not to smile with teeth so all the better!

The styling and inspiration for their couple photo shoot was “Vogue Magazine” covers/celebrity wedding.  I love how they turned out and if you didn’t know better you could see one of these photos on the cover of Vogue or People magazine!

When shooting a wedding ceremony, one of my main goals and desires is to show the emotion and relationships.  I love when a couple will laugh together, or a mother will cry and just let those emotions loose.

 

I also love when something unexpected happens. Like here where the adorable ring bearer grew weary of the activities and decided to poke birds in the tree with his stick.

Family photoshoot/bridal party photoshoot time is another favorite for me. It might be because it’s so fast and there is so much happening. Or it might be because I get to spend a few minutes with the key members of the wedding, I’m not sure. Either way I love getting a good laugh out of the people the bride and groom adore so much.

This picture is a new favorite of mine. It’s Paul’s parents and they are just cracking up and here’s why. Often times when we are doing the family photos people become very focused and have a hard time relaxing and so I’ll put them in a photo where they are standing next to a spouse or child and they look like they’ve never met the person before. I mean they will stand like a foot away from the person – which in a photo looks like 5 feet – and not touch the person at all. So usually I have to remind them to stand close and touch the person they love and then people get all snuggly and I love it.  Well, Paul’s parents, who won the anniversary dance contest for being married for a long while, snuggled right in for this photo.  As I looked through the lens I made a remark to snuggle in when I realized they already were very cozy! Well they laughed and laughed at that and I snapped this cut picture of them!

The reception at this wedding was off the hook. I’ve never seen lighting and activities quite like this before! SKM was rocking the dj’s booth and made the hall at Villa Siena feel like a swanky night club.